The wilderness moved – and shook – to an urban setting earlier this month when a grassroots coalition called Sportsmen for Browns Canyon showcased its ongoing effort to preserve a portion of the Arkansas River as the nation’s next National Monument. The edgy multi-media display on the facade of the McNichols Building was a far cry from the peace and quiet of Browns Canyon, but it made the point.

“We just want to keep Browns Canyon the way it is – pristine and wild,” said Kyle Perkins of Trout Unlimited, coordinator of the group. “Our goal with the video event was to visually bring this amazing place to the heart of downtown Denver. We wanted urban residents to experience some of the grandeur and awe of Browns and to support our efforts to protect it for future generations.”Read more…

You could say there are no losers, but it sure doesn’t feel that way when the pictures start rolling in of big fish, trophy deer and flushing pheasants all at once. No matter what I did, it seemed like someone else was doing something better.
Of course, it’s not a competition. Maybe just a reminder that there are never enough hours in the day, days in the week, weeks on the vacation calendar, especially this time of year in Colorado. A weekend simply isn’t enough time to consume the smorgasbord of activities an outdoorsman faces during the fall harvest.
Here’s a three-day sample of images that came across my iPhone this weekend, all while I was doing the other:Read more…

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Considering that nearly 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes every year in the U.S., it’s a safe bet our nosy dogs get hit even more. Widely varying estimates start around 15,000.

Dog owners hoping to stack the odds in their favor with snake season well underway should consider attending the established dog “de-snaking” clinics hosted this weekend by Julian Weslow and the Colorado Gun Dog Association. Using two surgically defanged diamondback rattlesnakes, Weslow teaches dogs to recognize the sight, smell and sound of the deadly snakes through e-collar admonitions. Dogs are allowed to get up close and personal with the vipers before some minor shock therapy is applied, teaching them that sniffing out snakes is a no-no.

Since the snakes are live, there’s a good chance of a non-lethal strike to reiterate the message. But it’s one the dog is likely to remember to avoid when it counts, and maybe even help the handler do the same.

Bird hunters are obvious candidates for Weslow’s Snake Avoidance Clinics on either Saturday or Sunday, but anyone who spends time with a dog in the West’s vast snake habitat is invited to join in for a 10-minute session with the trainer and snake handler. That includes hikers, bikers, trail runners, ranchers, farmers and dog-loving desert dwellers of all walks.

The annual outdoor clinics will be held on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. at Quail Run Sports (35027 County Rd. 27) in Kiowa (303-646-3868). Cost is $55 per dog and the best contact for registration is Fred Prior at 303-450-2547 or fred_prior@comcast.net.

Charlie Meyers poses for a photo while fly fishing for pike on Lake Colin in Canada on June 10, 2006. (Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post)

Charlie Meyers, who climbed from the lowlands of Louisiana to the peak of Colorado journalism through his insightful coverage of hunting, fishing and skiing for The Denver Post, died Tuesday evening from complications due to lung cancer.

Meyers, 72, covered his beats the past four decades with a graceful, engaging style and a thoughtful perspective. His last column for The Post, about an imperiled fishery in Park County, was published Dec. 6.

“He was a wonderful man, a wonderful journalist and a wonderful outdoorsman,” said William Dean Singleton, publisher of The Denver Post. “I can’t imagine The Denver Post without him.”

Meyers is survived by his wife, Dianna; sons Kirk, who lives in Seattle, and Kevin, of Dallas; daughters Lisa Lucero, of Castle Rock, and Kara Hardin, of San Francisco; granddaughters Lauren Wood, Morgan Daughety and Cleo Hardin; a great-granddaughter, Hannah Daughety; and stepson Eric Lutzens and stepdaughter Lori Morgan.

“Charlie was one of the people who defined The Post,” Post editor Greg Moore said. “He wrote about what makes Colorado special — nature and its bounty. He was dependable, and what he wrote was fresh. Charlie was a great colleague, always with a kind word, and he will be greatly missed by all of us.”

While Meyers’ ability to write lyrical features won him accolades, he cemented his reputation as a top-tier journalist by illuminating public-policy issues.

“If you had to sum up what Charlie Meyers did for the benefit of hunting and fishing (in Colorado), there would be no person that could equal his contribution,” said Eddie Kochman, former state chief of fisheries for the Department of Wildlife. “He set a standard few will ever reach.”